Predators’ Jeff Cogen, David Poile featured at Nashville Business Breakfast Aug. 28

By Kim Chaudoin | 615.966.6494 on 8/24/2014

Jeff Cogen, CEO and general manager of the Nashville Predators and Bridgestone Arena, and David Poile, president of hockey operations and general manager for the Nashville Predators, will be the featured speakers at Lipscomb University’s Nashville Business Breakfast at 7 a.m. on Thursday, Aug. 28, in Allen Arena. Cogen and Poile will speak on “Forward Focus On and Off the Ice.”

?Cogen, who was named Predators’ CEO in August 2010, has more than 30 years of experience in the sports and entertainment industry. He is responsible for running the business operations of both the club and the arena. During his tenure as CEO, Cogen has guided the organization to its most successful sales seasons to date, with the Nashville Predators increasing attendance year over year and growing the season ticket holder base to more than 10,000 for the first time since the 1999-2000 season.

Cogen has also been instrumental in the creation of the brand-new Ford Ice Center in Antioch, which opens this month. This rink is part of an ongoing public/private partnership with Metro Nashville to promote healthy lifestyles for Middle Tennessee residents and continue increasing participation in youth and amateur hockey. Prior to joining the Predators, Cogen served as president of both the Dallas Stars (2007-10) and Texas Rangers (2004-07).

The third-longest tenured general manager in National Hockey League history, Poile has spent 32 consecutive years at the helm of a franchise, 17 with Nashville and 15 with the Washington Capitals.

He is the only general manager in NHL history to be at the helm of two different clubs for 1,000 games and 500 victories, attaining both marks in 2011-12, and is the only person to be a finalist for the General Manager of the Year Award for each of its first three years of existence (2010, 2011 and 2012). Poile was also named general manager of the United States Olympic Team for the 2014 Winter Games in Sochi and was associate general manager for the 2010 United States Olympic Team.

While Poile continues to draft and develop home-grown players as the foundation for the Nashville Predators, he and his staff have also aggressively acquired young, talented prospects with high offensive ceilings and proven NHL stars via trade and free agency to supplement Nashville’s drafted talent.

The cost of the breakfast is $30 in advance and $40 at the door. Registration is available online at leadership.lipscomb.edu or by calling 615.966.6609.

The Nashville Business Breakfast is a quarterly networking event, presented by Lipscomb University and the Nashville Business Journal, with a news-conference style format, featuring business leaders with local economic impact. The event is sponsored by PNC Bank and Crowe Horwath.